Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in the state of Texas must have insurance and permits of inspection to operate legally and safely. The Texas Department of Insurance requires a sticker of inspection to be visible on water slides and surf machines. Photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in...

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in the state of Texas must have insurance and permits of inspection to operate legally and safely. The Texas Department of Insurance requires a sticker of inspection to be visible on water slides and surf machines. Photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in...

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at Paradise Water Park in Silsbee the park is looked over well and the guards can break from the heat. Photo taken on Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at...

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in the state of Texas must have insurance and permits of inspection to operate legally and safely. The Texas Department of Insurance requires a sticker of inspection to be visible on water slides and surf machines. Photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in...

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at Paradise Water Park in Silsbee the park is looked over well and the guards can break from the heat. Photo taken on Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at...

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in the state of Texas must have insurance and permits of inspection to operate legally and safely. The Texas Department of Insurance requires a sticker of inspection to be visible on water slides and surf machines. Photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in...

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at Paradise Water Park in Silsbee the park is looked over well and the guards can break from the heat. Photo taken on Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at...

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in the state of Texas must have insurance and permits of inspection to operate legally and safely. The Texas Department of Insurance requires a sticker of inspection to be visible on water slides and surf machines. Photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in...

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in the state of Texas must have insurance and permits of inspection to operate legally and safely. The Texas Department of Insurance requires a sticker of inspection to be visible on water slides and surf machines. Photo taken Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee along with any other water park in...

With nine lifeguards rotating shifts every twenty minutes at Paradise Water Park in Silsbee the park is looked over well and the guards can break from the heat. Photo taken on Friday, June 28, 2013.
Photo taken:
Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
Photo: Randy Edwards

A popular Crystal Beach water slide attraction is in need of its yearly state-mandated inspection before it can be in full compliance with the law.

Fun Spot Water Slide remains open. It has the required proof of insurance and has paid the mandatory filing fee, but the owner has not submitted its yearly safety inspection reports to the department, said Jerry Hagins, Texas Department of Insurance spokesman.

Under state law, water parks with certain amusements, such as large slides and surf machines, must have insurance policy information and safety inspection reports on file with the state insurance department. The amusement owner also must pay filing fees and have compliance stickers attached to the permitted equipment.

If owners do not maintain their documentation, the state agency will send a letter stating their lack of compliance and refer repeat offenders to the Attorney General's office.

In some cases, the Attorney General will send local law enforcement officials to enforce the state rules and shut down parks.

"Keeping up with the expiration dates is something that our office is constantly involved with," Hagins said. "There are certainly cases of longer lapses that require referrals to the Attorney General's office from time to time."

Fun Spot owner Bobby Mistrot said he runs "a tight ship" but simply lost track of the park's paperwork. The nearly 300-foot long water slide has been open for 35 years and has not had any fatalities occur on the premises, he said.

Hagins said the insurance department spoke with Fun Spot last week about updating its inspection sticker. The water slide park was in the process of submitting the required documentation.

"Generally, operators want to be in compliance," Hagins said.

Paradise Water Park in Silsbee is one of those fully compliant operators, according to the state agency.

The park has its current insurance policy and safety inspection records on file. Paradise just needs to send in its filing fee by the end of the month, Hagins said. The fee is $40 per ride.

Owner Pat Mossburg said the park was inspected last week and that she just mailed the filing fee this week.

Paradise has two large water slides that would need to be inspected each year. Mossburg said the inspector walked the slides and ensured proper signs were posted around the landing pool, such as "No Diving" and "Do Not Enter."

Both park owners said their insurance companies require a park safety inspection, as well, before they will write an insurance policy for the parks.

"You never know what's going to happen," Mossburg said.

The state agency encourages consumers to "look for the sticker" when determining whether to use amusement rides in Texas. Paradise had its inspection sticker on the slide railing where patrons could readily see it as they approached the slides.

Jed and Margaret Shelton brought their two daughters to Paradise Water Park for the first time Friday afternoon. The Beaumont residents said the park appeared safe and that they would probably return in the future.